Lighthouses are basically towers with light to help navigation and to warn against treacherous shore lines. Prior to electricity, fire was used on top of hills to warn ships and other vessels, of perils and help guide them to safe harbor.

 Bavute Gudde or Lighthouse Hill

Due to modern and scientific navigational technology including satellite guidance these working Lighthouses are declining in number. Today there are less than 2000 lighthouses worldwide and essentially have become tourist attractions. 

The original Lighthouse was built on the island of Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt. The study of Lighthouses is called Pharology.

A Lighthouse sends out light from an arrangement of lamps and rotating assembly of lenses. Compared to where we started from primitive fire on the hill, Kerosene lamps, diesel and petrol generators and finally electricity we have come a long way.

 View from the rocks near Lighthouse, Surathkal

There are technologies that are available now a days that dont even require a person to be present to operate the Lighthouses. There are Lighthouses that are still operational and in US they are maintained by the coast gauds.

With that foreword or preamble let me take you through and show you some of the popular Lighthouses of Mangalore.

 Lighthouse, Surathkal

Of course the first one that comes to mind is the one strategically located on what was originally known as Bavuta Gudde or presently the Lighthouse Hill. Prior to explosive growth and the concrete jungle that we witness now, the Lighthouse Hill used to offer an uninterrupted view of up to 230 degrees.

 Sunset, Surathkal Beach

And this view included that of the sea, Nethravati valley and Kodialguthu Valley. The trade route to Bunder bypassed the hill from the North.

 View of the Sunset from near the Lighthouse, Surathkal

The tower itself is made of Laterite but is cemented with a mixture of clay, mud and lime. The flag pole at the bottom of the tower hence the name Bavute Gudde has seen many a flag that defied British rule.

There is also a Gandhi Memorial library with excellent collection of books and Tagore Park with some lovely plants. 

 Surathkal Beach

I remember as a kid going to the Lighthouse Hill, eating charmuri, sitting on the bench and waiting for the Sun to set. 

From Mangalore my next stop was at Surthkal, 14 kilometers to the North and home of National Institute of Technology, Karnataka. Formerly knows as Karnataka Regional Engineering College is ranked as one of the top engineering colleges in India. 

Interestingly enough it is also one of the select few colleges in the world to own a private beach!

Surathkal is very well known also for its immaculate and pristine beach. Located on top of the rocks and close to the Lord Sadashiva Temple is the place of interest to us. The Lighthouse, it is fairly modern and the view from top of the rocks is absolutely breathtaking. 

 Beach at Kaup

One word of caution, however pristine this beach may look, many drown here every year. This beach became headline news when couple of girls died here during the Tsunami. 

The Lighthouse is very well maintained and is on a site worth visiting both for its looks as well as to enjoy the sunset. It is off the National Highway 17 and continues on to Udupi which is another 40 kilometers from Surathkal.

Kaup located approximately 14 kilometers south of Udupi has one of my all time favorite beaches. Untouched, unspoiled and the sea is not as rough as at Ullal, Surathkal or Maravanthe. One could just sit and be lost in your own thoughts admiring the beauty of the nature. Located again on top of the rock formation is the majestic looking 100 feet tall Lighthouse. It is unique in its location, structure and appearance. This is the type of Lighthouse what picture post cards are made of. 

Overall visiting these Lighthouses brought back fond memories. Even though I had not visited Kaup before it was a revelation for me. 

These are truly monuments that deserve our attention and have to be preserved because of their historical, cultural and aesthetic importance.

They are our heritage